Saturday, May 03, 2008

Fresh date, yam & walnut cake

The cake is garnished with caramelized walnut and yam

There are so many one-bowl cake's recipes (batter done in one mixing bowl, or a.k.a. quick-n'-easy) out there, if we haven't tried dozens, I bet we seen a hundred. So one really able to get me into action is not easy. When I was flipping micocina - postres, a local food magazine with a fairly low printing quality, fortunately visual never bothers me so I was able to discover a couple of great recipes.

One of them, yam cake, a one-bowl recipe, consists of an old classic and a new twist.

Yam is a classic in many Asian desserts, the feeling is very "country", love it! Potato has long been used in bread recipes with execellent result, so I know this yam would do the same wonder.

About the new twist - an egg is beat until foamy (like what we do for sponge cakes), then oil is whisked in until it emulsified. Little taxing on my arm power, but the cake doesn't turn out as heavy as most other one-bowl cakes. It does worth all the time and effort.

Fresh dates quite often are available in Barcelona, their price can be less than a half of the dried ones'. I start using them more frequently in cooking and baking, especially in this recipe, the fresh dates paired so well with yam.

My cakes were baked in convection oven which I don't like very much in baking, anyway, please adjust accordingly to your oven if it's different. The cakes were well kept at least 2 days.

Fresh date, yam and walnut cake

(adapted from cake depatatasdulces published inmicocinapostres 05)

yields : four cup cakes and one 3.5-inch mini bundt cake

Ingredients

100 g yam, shredded

3 fresh dates, seeded, diced

90g flour

100 g sugar

1 egg

70 ml peanut oil

70 g walnut, finely chopped

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

How-to

Grease the cake molds and pre-heat the oven to 140C

Beat the egg with sugar until its pale and foamy. VERY slowly drizzle, bit by bit, the oil in and continue to beat

Well combine the egg mixture with flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nut, yam and dates. Fill the cake mold with batter about 2/3 full. Bake until they turn golden brown, about 45 minutes or depending your oven.

That sounds like a grand combo and sure looks beautifully moist! Like the lighter note you speak of here and the walnut! And I like it doesn't make so much you need an army to eat it all. Excellent Gattina.